The reigning Sixth Man of the Year says he doesn't plan to be coming off anyone's bench but Oklahoma City's.

James Harden said Saturday that he "loves it" with the Thunder and expects a contract extension to be worked out between his agent and Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti.

"They'll do a pretty good job of working it out," Harden said. "I'm focused on several other things right now. But when the time is (right), they'll figure it out and it'll be done."

In his third season, Harden averaged 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists while coming off the bench for the Western Conference champions and proved to be a key piece for the young and talented Thunder.

Harden, 22, said he recognizes the Thunder are in a good place, as Oklahoma City features a nucleus of 23-year-old Kevin Durant who won the league's scoring title and 23-year-old point guard Russell Westbrook.

"This team is like a family," Harden said. "Like, we're really brothers. We hang out most of the time every single day. You won't find any other team like this. I love it here."

As of July 1, Harden, along with Serge Ibaka and Eric Maynor, will become eligible to negotiate extensions to their rookie deals. The Thunder already have signed Durant and Westbrook to long-term deals and some wonder if Oklahoma City will be able to keep all of its talent together. Harden, however, cites the unique togetherness of the team as a reason why he might take less money to stay in OKC.

"This is something special here," Harden said. "A dynasty is being built here. So we're winning, we're having fun and we're brothers. The other stuff, you can't buy it."

Former Arizona State star James Harden would consider signing with the Suns if his contract expires after next season.

"Yeah," he said. "Of course. I love it there. My mom lives there still. So that's definitely my second home as far as my comfort level and going to school there. But obviously, I'm with the Thunder right now and what we have is special."

Harden and his beard enjoyed breakout seasons in 2011-12, helping the Oklahoma City reach the NBA Finals. The Thunder already secured stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to long-term deals, and by 2015, those two players alone will command $35 million.

This offseason, the team has a window of opportunity to extend Harden and Serge Ibaka, but salary cap restrictions and harsh luxury tax penalties will make it extremely difficult to sign both. At the very least, it would require great sacrifice from the players involved.

If no deal is reached, Harden will become a restricted free agent after next season. A team like the Suns could then make it very hard on Oklahoma City by signing him to a lucrative offer sheet.

For now, Harden sounds committed to the Thunder. He's a West coast kid, but has grown to appreciate Oklahoma City, where buildings were adorned with mock beards during the playoffs. Harden is only strengthening that bond by participating in the 2012 Olympics with Durant and Westbrook.

"The kind of support we have in Oklahoma City, it's the best in the NBA," Harden said. "Phenomenal. Beards in the crowd, the whole nine (yards). The city is really something special."

But things can change. Remember how united the rising Suns were in 2004-05, and how quickly it all fell apart over contractual issues? Traditionally, ascending stars like Harden aren't content to play third fiddle, especially at a discounted rate.

Even Durant, who has been adamant that Harden would remain in Oklahoma City, said his viewpoint was based more hope than fact.

"I'm not negative, I'm not going to think the worst," Durant said. "That's just me. That may not be the case, and I may be wrong. As of now, I think he's going to be here, and we're going to make a concerted effort to keep him here. But that's just me being me. We'll see what happens."

So keep the fingers crossed. On Thursday night in the Olympic Village, Harden reunited with a pair of Sun Devils, taking a picture with the Ike Diogu and Eric Boateng. And with a few good breaks, the beard could be coming home to play for the professional team in town.

Reach Bickley at dan.bickley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8253. Follow him at twitter.com/danbickley. Listen to "Bickley and MJ" weekdays at 2-6 p.m. on XTRA Sports 910.

It just seemed that way.On the day that the Thunder held a press conference to tout the deal done with big man Serge Ibaka, the focus predictably turned to Harden. Signing Ibaka last month meant that three-fourths of the Thunder's young and talented core was secure. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Ibaka are all under contract beyond next season.

“James is somebody we value,” Presti said Monday afternoon. “We think he's an important part to what we're trying to do with our team and we're hopeful that he'll be with us.”

No doubt about that. Harden is super talented, a rare combination of shooter, slasher and distributor. His offensive skills provide an amazing complement to those of Durant and Westbrook.

“By the same token, we've been very upfront and transparent with everybody that we have some inherent challenges that we face as an organization as a result of the new collective bargaining agreement,” the Thunder general manager continued. “I know we'd love to have him here. I think James would like to be here as well. But at the end of the day ... you have to find a way to make it work for everybody.”Notice those qualifiers in there? By the same token? But?

You don't have to read far between the lines to realize the reality — striking a deal with Harden is going to be like walking uphill on an icy sidewalk.Darn near impossible.

The deadline to sign him is Oct. 31, so there's still a lot of time to hammer out the details. But Presti seems to be laying the groundwork for what will happen when a deal doesn't get done — Harden will become a restricted free agent next summer, some team will offer him an exorbitant amount of money that the Thunder won't be able to match, and Harden will be playing for another team after this season.The problem is the luxury tax.

In the 2013-14 season, when the new contracts for Ibaka and Harden would begin, the luxury tax would kick in once a team's combined player salaries reach $72 million. The Thunder already has $53.9 million committed to Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins for that season.

The team could amnesty Perk, but unless some of these newly acquired bigs grow a serious nasty streak, I wouldn't recommend it.But even if the Thunder ultimately cuts ties with Perkins, Harden would still have to sign for $10 million a year or so for the team to stay out of luxury-tax trouble. And even then, it might exceed the limit.

The the big weakness of the thunder. They arent willing to pay the big bucks to have a good team. There payroll is really low right now but in a few years your gonna see a few problems with that method. Durant and westbrook wont be enough if you dont have the role players to help.

With the deadline fast approaching for the Thunder to come to terms on a contract extension for James Harden, a potential sliver of hope was heard Wednesday afternoon.

Thunder center Kendrick Perkins, speaking following an appearance at a Thunder Fit event at a local middle school, said the two sides are “getting close” on a deal that would keep the reigning Sixth Man of the Year in Oklahoma City.

Harden is eligible to receive an extension of up to four years. Harden is believed to be seeking a contract worth the maximum allowable amount, which could be $58 million. But with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook already inked to maximum deals, as well as Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins recently signing high-dollar extensions, the Thunder might not be able to afford to keep Harden with more severe penalties for teams that exceed the tax level set to kick in prior to the 2013-14 season.

If Harden doesn’t sign a deal by Oct. 31 he will become a restricted free agent next summer, which would allow him to hit the open market but gives the Thunder the right to match any deal he might be offered.Training camp is scheduled to begin Oct. 1, and Perkins said he is confident that when Harden returns he’ll naturally want to remain with the team that drafted him third overall in 2009 without anybody needing to convince him to do so.

“Once James gets here it’s nothing to be said,” Perkins said. “He’ll see his family and that’s all he needs. So once he sees everybody’s faces that’s enough said.”

Thunder general manager Sam Presti on Monday reiterated the franchise’s desire to keep Harden around long term. But as is becoming the norm, Presti also stressed how the new collective bargaining agreement will force the Thunder to make some tough decisions. It could be a prelude to a deal not coming to fruition and Harden’s days in Oklahoma City being numbered.

“James is somebody we value,” Presti said. “We think he’s an important part to what we’re trying to do with our team and we’re hopeful that he’ll be with us. By the same token, we’ve been very upfront and transparent with everybody that we have some inherent challenges that we face as an organization as a result of the new collective bargaining agreement.“I know we’d love to have him here. I think James would like to be here as well. But at the end of the day, those situations, you have to find a way to make it work for everybody. We’re hopeful that we can do that. But I can’t tell you what’s going to happen there.”

Despite what KPerk says OKC & JHarden not close to deal. Sides are talking. JH wants to stay but wants max. Let's see if OKC blinks b4 10/31

It would behoove OKC to sign JH b4 10/31 b/c next summer teams will offer poison pill max contracts that will be hard to match.

I hope Harden doesn't back off the wanting the max offer. It screws up OKC completely...if he gets max from them it ruins their flexibility moving forward, if he leaves and takes max elsewhere it breaks up their team

James Harden says he wants to stay in Oklahoma City and play with the Thunder.

He reiterated as much Monday at Thunder media day.

“Of course I want to be here,” he said.

But the clock continues to tick. Harden and the Thunder must agree on terms to a contract extension by the end of this month. An offer has been made, the sides are talking, but if a deal is not done by Oct. 31, the versatile guard will be eligible to become a restricted free agent next summer.

If it gets to that point, there's no way the Thunder will be able to match the huge contract some team will surely offer him.

So, the question is this — is Harden ready to leave all this?

That is the question Harden must ask and answer in these contract negotiations. Is he ready to leave a still youthful but supremely talented team that went to the NBA Finals last season? Ready to leave a nucleus that only seems to get better? Ready to leave a franchise that has built a culture that players rave about?

Sure didn't sound like it Monday.

Harden repeated his willingness to sacrifice to stay with the Thunder, asserting that a max contract wasn't a necessity. He even went so far as to say he believed a deal would be done by the Oct. 31 deadline.

“That's why I'm not too worried about it,” he said.

Maybe the Thunder can re-sign Harden after all.

Crunching the numbers and listening to the qualifiers thrown around by the Thunder brass, it hasn't seemed like keeping Harden would be possible. Surely, he would want more money than the team could handle.

Getting a deal done still seems like an extremely long shot — how much can the Thunder really offer without putting itself in luxury-tax jeopardy? — but listening to Harden on Monday, it didn't seem completely impossible.

“We've built a brotherhood here, a brotherhood that's hard to break,” he said. “Other teams are just teammates, but we're really brothers.”

More than anything, re-signing Harden is a test of the Thunder Way.

Sam Presti is the architect of that system. The Thunder general manager has always said it was his intention to build a successful franchise that would be sustainable over the long term, even in a small market like Oklahoma City. That meant drafting players who were not only great players but also great teammates, putting a higher value on sacrifice and team than on ego and self, then affording those players every advantage in training, fitness, nutrition and medical know-how.

The players, for example, are fed breakfast and lunch on practice days. That might seem small, but it's not something most teams do.

Add up all the things like that the Thunder does, and it makes for a first-class organization.

That's what Kendrick Perkins called the franchise shortly after the Thunder acquired him from Boston a few years back. And that's one of the reasons that shortly after he arrived, he signed a long-term deal with the Thunder. He realized quickly that he wanted to stay and be a part of this team, even if it meant not testing the open market to see if he get more money.

The same could be said for Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Thabo Sefolosha, Nick Collison ... the list goes on and on.

The only time the Thunder Way didn't win out was with Jeff Green. The team offered him less than he wanted, and once both sides realized they were at impasse, the Thunder dealt him to the Celtics.

Green asked himself the question of whether he was willing to leave all this, and ultimately, he decided that he was.

Harden has to ask and answer the same question.

He talks often about his situation with Westbrook, who was in the same spot a year ago. Westbrook arrived at training camp without a contract extension, but he eventually signed a five-year, $80 million deal.

Even though those are big numbers, Westbrook actually sacrificed. He didn't hold out for a Derrick Rose contract, saving the Thunder a little over $3 million a year. He didn't demand an opt-out clause, helping secure the franchise's future.

Why'd he do all of that?

“I think we have something special here,” Westbrook said. “The organization. The fans. I don't think there's a team in the league that's like it.”

As Harden is talking to Westbrook, you can bet those are the type of things that are coming up.

Frankly, that's great news for the Thunder. Those kind of conversations are reminders to Harden about what he's already a part of, how special it is, how unique it is.

It's something, though, that he's already aware of.

“The support that I have here and that the Thunder has here is unreal,” Harden said. “I love this beautiful city.”

So, is he ready to leave all of this?

In the end, only Harden can answer that question, but if Monday was any indication, it sure seems the Thunder Way might ultimately hold some sway.

Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at (405) 475-4125 or at jcarlson@opubco.com. You can also like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok or view her personality page at newsok.com/jennicarlson.

With a Wednesday deadline looming for a contract extension for James Harden, general manager Sam Presti and agent Rob Pelinka have been meeting for the past two days in Oklahoma City trying to work out a deal, sources told Yahoo Sports.

Harden, 23, recently turned down a four-year offer worth about $52 million, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Harden, last season's Sixth Man of the Year, has been pushing for a maximum contract extension of four years, $60 million.

Nevertheless, the fact the two sides are still negotiating suggests there could be a deal to be made somewhere between the Thunder's latest offer and Harden's desire for a max contract.

As the Thunder did in Serge Ibaka's four-year, nearly $50 million contract extension, sources said management will try to sell Harden on incentive clauses that could get his deal closer to the $60 million he wants.

Presti and Pelinka have talked frequently in the weeks leading up to Wednesday's midnight deadline, sources said. Pelinka knows Harden will likely command a maximum contract on the open market as a restricted free agent, and has little motivation to settle for much less.

As one league executive with relationships on both sides of the talks said, "You're asking a player to take less money and remain a non-starter. Harden can start and go make more money. …That's a tough sell."

What the Thunder have to sell is simple: a chance to stay with a championship contender and play with a core of young stars for whom he has great affection. Oklahoma City signed Ibaka in August. For the Thunder to pay Harden the maximum, they would push well into a luxury-tax scenario that owner Clay Bennett doesn't want to pay – for now, anyway.

The NBA's deadline for players in the draft class of 2009 to sign extensions is Wednesday. If not, Harden can become a restricted free agent on July 1. Several teams with salary-cap space, including the Phoenix Suns, are strong candidates to offer Harden a maximum contract.

If Harden doesn't sign the extension, several league executives believe Presti could begin to explore trades for Harden sooner than later. Most believe it would be riskier to overhaul the Thunder – a championship contender – near the Feb. 21 trade deadline because it's too close to the start of the playoffs.

Nevertheless, Oklahoma City's insistence that it won't pay a third player beyond Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook a max contract could ultimately be a bluff. The Thunder could simply insist that now, only to cave later and match an offer sheet in the summer.